Exploding target starts fire in Rifle

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RIFLE — The cause of Sunday’s 3-acre Fravert Reservoir brush fire has been determined to have been an exploding rifle target, according to Colorado River Fire Rescue authorities.

A responsible party has been identified but is not being named because no charges have been filed, said authority spokeswoman Maria Piña. She said it is possible the responsible party could be charged and held responsible for firefighting costs.

No structures were damaged and no injuries occurred in the fire, which was reported shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday. Fire crews from the Rifle stations of Colorado River Fire Rescue and the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit responded. Two single-engine planes dropped fire retardant on the blaze, which was declared fully contained around 10 p.m. Sunday, Piña said.

Exploding rifle targets are legal and consist of two inert components that, when mixed, blow up if impacted by a high-velocity projectile.